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In every area of practice, WilmerHale brings the insight, dedication to excellence, and commitment to client service needed for our clients to achieve their business objectives. Our five-department structure and team approach to service enable us to provide the highest level of responsiveness and access to lawyers with the most appropriate experience.

International Corporate Partner Joins WilmerHale's Palo Alto Office

July 15, 2008

PALO ALTO, CA, July 15, 2008—WilmerHale is pleased to announce the arrival of Simone W. Yew as its newest partner. Ms. Yew joins the law firm’s Corporate Practice Group in the Palo Alto office, bringing with her a decade of experience advising US and other multinational companies and investors on investing and doing business in China.

Ms. Yew joins WilmerHale from Baker & McKenzie, where she was a partner and member of the mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and technology, media and telecommunications practices. She began there in 1997 in the Hong Kong office and has since practiced in Palo Alto and Beijing.

Ms. Yew advises clients in the life sciences, IT and private equity sectors. She has represented US, European and Asian acquirers and sellers in M&A in China, as well as US life sciences and software companies on their research collaborations, strategic alliances, licenses and joint ventures with Chinese counterparts.

“We are very excited that Simone is joining WilmerHale,” said Curtis L. Mo, partner-in-charge of WilmerHale's Palo Alto office. “Her extensive deal-making experience and knowledge of the Chinese market is beneficial to our clients with international corporate legal needs and she will be a great fit for our plans for continued growth in this specific area of corporate law.”

“An important part of our work with clients engaged in business in China is derived from our expertise in transactional, intellectual property, regulatory and government relations matters. Simone’s years of experience advising Silicon Valley and other US companies investing in China greatly adds to our ability to handle complex cross-border and investment interests,” said William Lee, co-managing partner of the firm.

WilmerHale’s Palo Alto office opened in 2005 and has quickly developed a leading practice that is founded on the firm’s core strengths and principles. Like many successful Silicon Valley startup stories, the office was originally anchored by two attorneys and, over the past few years, has grown to more than 30 highly qualified and versatile attorneys representing clients in the United States, Asia and Europe. Ms. Yew’s expertise will not only deepen the Palo Alto practice, but strengthen the bridge between the firm’s US and Beijing offices—which offers a unique combination of services bringing together premier in-country transactional and intellectual property experience with outstanding policy, regulatory and government relations capabilities. Ms. Yew will support the China team, based in Beijing, in offering clients an exceptional depth and scope of service.

The firm’s Beijing office is led by Lester Ross and Robert Woll, who serve as co-partners-in-charge of the Beijing office. They lead a group of Chinese-speaking lawyers and staff who are widely recognized as comprising one of the strongest legal teams based in China for corporate, financial services and intellectual property work, including M&A, fund formation, private equity, venture capital, foreign direct investment, financial services, telecommunications and technology. They are supported in particular by our Washington-based trade and government relations teams led by Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, former United States Trade Representative, and Robert Novick, former USTR General Counsel, who structured, negotiated and concluded a range of landmark agreements with China and other Asian jurisdictions, most notably the comprehensive US-China bilateral agreement that paved the way for China’s WTO membership.

“I am proud to join a team of such qualified and diverse practitioners that are committed to building their West Coast-Asia practice,” said Ms. Yew.

Ms. Yew is admitted to the Bar in Singapore, England & Wales and California. She received her Bachelor of Laws (with honors) from the National University of Singapore. She is fluent in English, Mandarin and other Chinese dialects.

In every area of practice, WilmerHale brings the insight, dedication to excellence, and commitment to client service needed for our clients to achieve their business objectives. Our five-department structure and team approach to service enable us to provide the highest level of responsiveness and access to lawyers with the most appropriate experience.